5 Killer App Combos for the iPad Pro

I’ve been working from my new iPad Pro since launch day and I’m impressed with things I wasn’t expecting. The larger screen is a joy to use for a number of apps like MindNode (mind mapping) and Mail. I was surprised by the power and productivity of split-screen multitasking on the iPad Pro.

Split-Screen Productivity

I’m traditionally a screen hog with my computing environments. I run with 3 additional 27 inch monitors attached to my laptop and use every inch. I was pleasantly surprised by a new mode of work when sitting down with the iPad Pro. The dual app view gave me the utility I needed to work on more than one thing without the clutter of lots of screen space and things running everywhere. I feel more focused on the task at hand and less likely to be distracted by other things on screen competing for my attention.

I found a number of app combinations that worked really well for me and wanted to share a few.

Note: you’ll see FastEver below. I love Evernote’s utility but their apps in general are too slow for data entry so I use FastEver for quick note creation.

1. iBooks + FastEver — While reading business books I like to capture ideas for how I can apply the content or jot down ideas that hit me mid-read. Reading on one side while taking notes on the other worked really well for this.

2. Safari + FastEver — This combo works well for capturing research, news or items of interest. Read on one side, take notes on the other.

3. FastEver + Skype — The perfect combo for taking notes while on a call. Works well for calling out to a couple people without having set up a conference line.

4. Slack + FastEver— While using FastEver to capture notes in a meeting, oftena question arises that someone outside the room needs to answer. With Slack open, I can quickly get that answer from the other team member without interrupting the flow of my note taking.

5. Keynote/Pages/Numbers + Skype — I’m often running through a document with someone over the phone. This combo lets me have the source doc open while chatting through Skype. One item to note – Skype works really well when you slim it down to just 1/3 of the screen (not the typical half and half split screen) so you have even more space to look at your documents.

Bonus: Pinnacle Pro + Photos — I love video editing on the iPad Pro (that’ll be an entirely separate post). Being able to give Pinnacle Pro 2/3 of the screen and fire up Photos in the other 1/3 to quickly zip through the media I want to work with is a great experience.

Apps That Need to Get Their Split-Screen Act Together

There are a couple high profile apps that need to get their multitasking split-screen compatible views in place to join the ranks of key business tools on the iPad Pro.

LinkedIn — No excuse, you’re a core business tool and every iPad Pro user will want to have your app side by side with others. Get on it.

WebEx & GotoMeeting — Really? The leaders in the space haven’t realized the killer potential for mobile collaboration partnered with other apps on the iPad Pro. *Hat tip* to Join.Me for being compatible first.

Skype — While it works in split-screen mode right now, that’s only for audio calls (you can’t fire up the video). A video conference on 1/2 the screen while taking notes on the other would be very powerful.

Split-screen multitasking has been available on iOS for a while. The release of the iPad Pro unleashed new productivity and a different way of working for me, and I expect many others to see the same impact.